A real estate investment firm wants to bring 153 single-family rental homes south of CR 650N and east of CR 700W and have the site annexed into McCordsville.
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McCORDSVILLE – Officials in McCordsville are considering two annexations for residential projects proposing hundreds of houses.
Another home builder is in the early stages of pitching a third annexation and development.
Combined, they total nearly 450 lots. Here is a summary of each new neighborhood possibly coming to McCordsville:
Meridian Homes
Hartman Capital, a real estate investment firm in Champaign, Illinois, is asking the town to annex over 68 acres south of CR 650N and east of CR 700W. That’s where the company wants to develop Meridian Homes, which would consist of 153 single-family rental houses.
The firm first pitched the project to Hancock County officials, but given the proximity to McCordsville, town officials reached out about annexing.
“From a bigger-picture standpoint, we’re in general agreement that creating donuts of county land within an otherwise incorporated municipality is probably not great regional planning in the long run,” Scott Kunkel of Hartman Capital said at a McCordsville Town Council meeting last month.
Council members unanimously approved the annexation on the first of two readings. Tonight, the McCordsville Plan Commission is slated to have a public hearing on the project and consider a zoning recommendation for the site. The town council is slated to vote on the annexation for a final time and the site’s zoning designation at its September meeting at the earliest.
Snider Planned Unit Development
Indianapolis-based Platinum Properties and Atlanta-based Beazer Homes are asking the town to annex 80 acres south of West CR 700N just east of the Champion Lake neighborhood. That’s where the firms want to develop 168 single-family homes for residents 55 and older.
Town council members unanimously approved the annexation on the first of two readings. Tonight, the McCordsville Architectural Review Committee is slated to discuss the architecture of the proposed homes. The town’s plan commission would have a public hearing and consider a zoning recommendation as early as its September meeting, and the town council would give final consideration as soon as October.
Kevin Smith, a Champion Lake resident, urged town officials to require that the back sides of the homes in the development follow regulations in the town’s zoning ordinance calling for various architectural features.
“Unless this is broken up on the back side of any of this stuff, it’s just going to look like square homes for miles around,” Smith said.
Katherine Parr, who lives near the site, asked how McCordsville officials determine how the town can sustain traffic impacts from all of the planned residential developments.
Mark Witsman, McCordsville town engineer, said intersections in and out of town are addressed when traffic studies are commissioned. He also noted the town is commissioning a study with Indianapolis-based A&F Engineering to explore implementing a town road impact fee. Such a fee would require developers to pay funds on a per-lot basis that the town would use to improve roads.
Alexander Ridge
Joe Lenehan of St. John-based Olthof Homes gave an informal presentation to the town council for a project on about 48 acres on the south side of CR 900N about a half-mile east of Mt. Comfort Road. Called Alexander Ridge, the neighborhood would consist of 60 single-family homes and 66 villas. The company is interested in having the site annexed into town as well.
If you go
What: McCordsville Architectural Review Committee
When: 5:30 p.m. Tuesday
Where: McCordsville Town Hall, 6280 W. 800N, McCordsville
Why: The committee will consider architectural features for a proposed housing development
If you go
What: McCordsville Plan Commission meeting
When: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday
Where: McCordsville Town Hall, 6280 W. 800N, McCordsville
Why: The commission will have a public hearing and consider a zoning recommendation for a proposed housing development
